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Gary Siskin, MD, an interventional radiologist at Community Care Physicians, is utilizing a breakthrough treatment in the Capital Region. Called Therasphere, this outpatient procedure is used to treat one of the most lethal types of cancer, liver cancer.
Primary liver cancer often doesn’t present signs and symptoms early on; which means the disease is often detected in more advanced stages. Cancer affecting the liver is more commonly metastatic cancer, which occurs when tumors from other parts of the body spread, or metastasize, to the liver. Cancers that commonly spread to the liver include colon, lung and breast cancers.
Therasphere uses millions of microscopic beads to treat inoperable liver cancer. The microspheres are delivered through a catheter inserted in the groin and then into the hepatic artery, which is one of two blood sources into the liver. Nourishment for the organ comes through a second blood source.
These radioactive beads deliver targeted radiation therapy directly to tumors. The radiation then destroys the tumor causing minimal damage to the surrounding tissue. Patients remain conscious throughout the procedure.
This treatment is generally used for patients with primary liver cancer or cancer that has spread to the liver from other parts of the body. It is considered for patients who aren’t candidates for surgery because the tumor hasn’t responded to other treatments (often because the tumor is too large) or because the disease has infected multiple sites of the liver.
Therapshere works best when combined with other forms of treatment, such as chemotherapy.
This advanced treatment slows or stabilizes the progression of this disease. There are limited treatment options when dealing with liver cancer. This procedure gives hope to patients facing inoperable liver cancer.
The American Cancer Society estimates that 21,370 new cases of primary liver cancer and bile duct cancer will be diagnosed in the US in 2008. Liver cancer is more common in men than women. For more information on liver cancer, visit www.cancer.org.
Theraspehere is offered at Community Care Physicians’ Interventional Radiology, located at Albany Medical Center. Call 262-4210 for more information on this procedure.
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